I have a very obsessive personality. I get into something and I have to know everything thing there is about it and I am not satisfied until I do. The obsession eventually wears off when I find something else to obsess over. Thinking back over the last few years my obsessions have been apes, sci-fi novels, religions, scooters, and much more.
Since as far back as I remember I have been drinking 2+ sodas per day. About five years ago I decided to make the switch to diet coke to watch my girlish figure. Well, I don't know if anyone else has read about aspartame (the artificial sweetener used in most diet sodas), but it is a vile substance. Apparently, as it metabolizes it changes into formaldehyde in your body. On top of that fun factoid, it also reportedly (although "unproven") causes brain tumors, headaches, and memory loss. With all of those things I decided about a week ago that I would quit sodas cold turkey. So, what beverage would I switch to? Coffee? Nah, it's not something I can drink all day long. Tea? Sounds promising.
Last Monday I went with Megan to get her allergy shots and thought I'd venture next door to the market to peruse their beverage selection. I immediately found Snapple's new "red tea" selections and quickly purchased one. I really enjoyed the beverage and found out the tea they use, rooibos, is a strong antioxidant and caffeine-free. The following day during my lunch break at work I immediately began researching rooibos online. After careful research, I decided to make a trip to Whole Foods on the way home from work and purchases two different types of rooibos. Well, while rooibos is a great drink, I still need my caffeine. So, I began researching caffeinated teas. I naturally already new about your standard black teas, but came across a tea called "yerba mate." It's from the holly family and grows in the rain forests of South America. It's the most popular beverage in most of Central and South America. It has about 1/3 the caffeine of coffee and has more antioxidants than about anything. Naturally, I had to try it. I had found my beverage of choice.
